This invention relates to a nonwoven fabric made of elastically stretchable filaments and a process for making the same.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1998-60765 describes an elastically stretchable nonwoven fabric obtained using the known melt blown method. This known nonwoven fabric of prior art comprises a plurality of superfine, elastic and continuous component fibers heat-sealed together partially along intermittent lengths thereof and partially at intermittent points therealong. The heat-sealing is performed so that the number of lines and points along and at which the component fibers are crimped should not exceed a predetermined number. This is for the purpose of alleviating a rubber-like touch due to the elastic fibers. According to the disclosure of the Patent Application, the number of the linearly heat-sealed regions is preferably in a range of about 500-3,000/cm2 and the number of the linearly heat-sealed regions more than 3,000 will generate the undesirable rubber-like touch.
The prior art improves a strength of elastic stretchable nonwoven fabric by partially heat-sealing the superfine component fibers together along intermittent length thereof. In addition, the prior art limits the number of the heat-sealed regions to a predetermined number or less and thereby successfully relieves the nonwoven fabric of an apprehension that the nonwoven fabric might exhibit the undesirable rubber-like touch if the number of the heat-sealed regions exceeds said predetermined number. However, such nonwoven fabric of prior art is not sufficiently bulky in its thickness direction to avoid a thin and flat paper-like touch peculiar to nonwoven fabrics of this type.